Former Indian World Cup Winner Gautam Gambhir lambasted England’s batter’s batting approach in the ongoing marquee event after the defending champions’ humiliating loss against Sri Lanka in Bangalore. Jos Buttler-led side were completely outplayed in the game, as they found no answer to the bowling of the Lankan bowlers.
Defending Champions England opted to bat first on a crucial game and were bowled out for just 156 runs. With eight wickets and 24.2 overs remaining, Sri Lanka overcame the target, handing the reigning champions their fourth loss in five games.
Speaking on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir has expressed his opinion on England’s poor performance in the World Cup. He believes that both their batting and bowling have been responsible for their poor campaign. Furthermore, he has raised concerns about the team’s body language, which appeared to be lackluster in every match. He criticized their batting approach in the tournament and stated that every player in the England team is playing for their own reputation instead of playing for the country.
“Combination of the two. England’s body language from the start was as though they were extremely disinterested. You cannot bat in just one way. There isn’t even one batter in this entire batting unit who wants to grind. There is a difference between being able to do it and wanting to do it,” Gautam Gambhir added.
“A lot of players say that this is their style and it’s up to you whether you select them or not. It means you are extremely selfish. Selfishness does not have any role in a team sport. It seemed like everyone was playing for their reputation and not for the country,” Gautam Gambhir said.
England has drawn a lot of criticism for its ambitious ODI World Cup 2023 strategy and data-driven approach in the tournament. The reigning champions are on the verge of an early World Cup exit after four losses in their last five games, making this one of their worst tournament.
There Wasn’t Even One Player Who Got Out Because Of The Wicket – Gautam Gambhir
According to Gautam Gambhir, he thought that England would score more than 350 runs in their game against Sri Lanka due to the strong start they had in the powerplay. He criticized the England batters for their lack of application in the middle overs of the innings.
“After the first 7 overs, it seemed like England would score 350 or 400. After that, no one tried to grind or spend time in the middle. Extremely ordinary shots after Joe Root got out. There wasn’t even one player who got out because of the wicket,” Gautam Gambhir concluded.
Only ahead of the Netherlands, England now sits in ninth place in the points rankings after the lopsided loss and the defending champions will take on the host nation India in their next encounter in Lucknow on Sunday.